Fortune Anthem featured heavily in the stewards’ report but he looks like a horse worth following after his debut at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.

The David Hall-trained three-year-old had shown some gate speed in all four of his barrier trials ahead of his first run, but with an expected strong tempo, connections were keen to find cover early from the outside barrier in the Class Four Kings Falcon Handicap (1,000m).

Jockey Sam Clipperton settled towards the tail of the field, finding a spot behind Dr Race before starting to get busy on the turn.

When looking for a run early in the straight, Clipperton had the choice of going either outside or inside Peace N Prosperity, electing the latter option.

From there, he found more trouble with Dr Race taken out by Cheers And Cheers, leaving Fortune Anthem awkwardly placed and then unable to be ridden out for the final 50m, eventually finishing eighth, three-and-a-half lengths behind the winner Flying Monkey.